ADVANCED POST-OP POOL EXERCISES FOR HIP:
6 -12 WEEKS POST OPERATION.
All photos taken courtesy of Herongate Leisure centre Hungerford
Exercise programs written by Victoria Kerr Davies
Photography Cayford Media
Buy yourself some ankle cuffs for these resisted exercises.
Enter the pool, sit on a suitable step and put on your ankle cuffs, one around each ankle. Remember this will mean your legs will want to float up. Wear the ankle cuffs throughout the regime unless otherwise stated.
Warm up:
Place your hands on top of a float and push it down below the surface of the water as you walk forwards, backwards and sideways across pool x 2 in each direction.
Walk:
1. Stretch out walk with long even stride.
2. Walk on tip toes.
3. Walk with a dip, take step dip down, by bending knee of leading leg, push up tall repeat with each step.
Walk sideways
1. Step out to side as far as you can, keeping feet and hips facing forward, bring feet back together each step.
2. Start with hips and knees gently flexed, and feet hip width apart, maintain this squat position as you walk sideways across the pool.
3. High stepping gait.
Repeat all below exercises x 10.
Standing facing side of pool, initially place hands on wall for exercises when using float.
Gradually try not to use wall for support at best finger touch to aid balance for all other exercises. Stand tall, weight evenly distributed, maintain good posture throughout.
Standing toe raises
Squeeze your buttocks and go up and down onto your tiptoes.
Place a float under your foot, the float must stay flat otherwise it will shoot out sideways.
Now bring your knee towards your chest and down. Control the float by keeping your knee directly over your foot.
Now transfer the float to the operated leg . With the float under the original foot on the bottom of the pool place foot of operated leg onto float then remove non operated foot. Bring your operated leg towards your chest and down as above.
Be careful to control the float keeping your knee directly over your foot then pause at the top of the movement to allow the hip to stretch into increased bend.
With float under foot, change back to non operated leg, Bring hip to right angle and bend knee to 90°, keeping the foot directly under the knee, carry knee out to side and back to start position. Control is key, pelvis should remain pointing to the wall and the knee over the foot. Do not cross over the standing leg.
Change float to operated leg, procedure as before. Repeat the same exercise.
Then Remove Float
Carry alternate straight leg out to side leading with the heel and then pull it back in leg keeping hips straight.
Be aware the ankle cuff will pull the leg up and out so only go as far as you can control your leg and go slowly.
Then
1. Stretch alternate leg out behind.
2. Bend alternate knee up behind to bring foot towards bottom.
3. Alternate hip hitching.
All photos of these exercises on the other earlier programs without the armbands
Stand sideways to the side of the pool, try not to have your hand on the wall only finger touch to aid balance. Repeat facing other way.
1. Stretch leg out behind as far as you can and kick through, keep upper body still.
2. Cycle action with leg, stretch up round and back, as large a movement as you can.
3. Bend hip and knee to 90 degrees. Keeping the thigh still and level. Bend and straighten your knee.
In waist height water.
Placing hands flat on top of a float to increase resistance or hold bottles.
1. Dip down to sitting position, knees over feet, stand, repeat.
2. Forward Lunge: Take one foot forward, as in taking a step, keeping the upper body still, lunge onto forward leg by bending your knee transferring your weight, the heel of the straight back leg will come off the floor, the stretch should be felt in the thigh of the straight leg, return to start position. Alternate the forward leg.
3. Sideways Lunges- Stand with feet wide apart, feet pointing forward and then transfer your weight sideways on to one leg by bending the knee and keeping the other leg straight. Feel the stretch in the upper thigh of the straight leg. Return to the start position.Stretch both ways, alternately.
4. Squats keeping feet flat on floor
5. Single leg squats perform on either leg.
6. Leg circles both ways
Walk standing position- which is one foot forward one back, evenly weighted and a hip width apart. Hold 2 bottles and try to maintain balance.
1. Take arms, both arms going in same direction, forwards and backwards past hips
2. Hands together swing straight arms to left and right.
3. Alternate arms swing back and forth, as in marching.
Now repeat above exercises, standing on one leg, change legs. This will further challenge your balance
ONLY ATTEMPT THE LYING EXERCISES WITH ANKLE CUFFS IF YOU ARE A SWIMMER AND/OR ARE CONFIDENT IN WATER BY FLOATING WITH THE SUPPORT OF WATER AIDS AND/OR THE HELP OF A COMPANION. AN ALTERNATIVE IS TO FLOAT OUT FROM THE POOL STEP
Lying on back
1. Alternate straight legs down and up. First slowly and then Fast
2. Straight legs apart and together. Keep toes pointing to ceiling. push out to full range but speed it up.
3. Alternate knee bring up towards chest and stretch out.
4. Bicycling legs. Big motion.
Take the ankle cuffs off.
Lying on front. Holding woggle or float.
1. Straight leg kicking and try to get forward motion across pool.
2. Bicycling legs.
Now- Sit on some woggles as on a swing or astride the woggles then bicycle to achieve forward and backward motion. See video
At the steps, try to do these exercises without holding on.
1. Step ups on one step- Run on and off the bottom step leading with alternate foot.
2. Step downs- Stand on the bottom step and step down with alternate leg leading.
3. Lunges- Facing up the steps. Place alternate foot on second step and rock weight forward to bring knee over foot.
4. Step ups two steps- Now step up onto second step and down.
5. Sideways step ups– Stand sideways to step, step on and off step sideways, turn round and repeat with the other leg leading.
6. Sit to stands-Sit on a step- getting further out of the water as your strength builds up. Stand and sit from there.
At 10 + Weeks
Jog on the spot.
Jog across pool, progress to running.
When you have sufficient strength
1. Jumping on the spot, make sure you are pushing off each leg.
2. Hopping either leg.
3. Sideways running.
Swim front crawl, doggy paddle and backstoke. Build number of lengths.
Swim on front and back; hold float whilst straight leg kicking to achieve forward motion.
Starjumps
A great aerobic exercises as well as general exercise for the lower leg and for co-ordination.
Here is a film containing many of the more advanced exercises to help you get back to full strength and mobility.